Pressure fluid generator



May 10, 1932. J B. MCKEOWN 1,858,102.

PRESSURE FLUID GENERATOR Filed Aug. 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR B #069,127: 15. McKeown ATTORN EY WITNESSES y 1932 J. B. M KEOWN 1,858,102

PRESSURE FLUID GENERATOR Filed Aug. 8, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR $051219?! .5. Meffeow/z B ATTORN EY Patented May 10, 1932 UNITED STATES JOSEPH IB. MCKEOWN, OF GRAND VIEW, NEW YORK IRESSUIIEtE FLUID GENERATOR Application filed August 8, 1928. Serial No. 298,270.

This invention relates to a pressure fuel feeder for a power impulse generator of the type described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,620,565, granted to me, such generator being designed and adapted for use 1n conjunction with any suitable types of turbines.

It is one of the objects of the invention to combine with power impulse generator, a

1 novel and improved form of fuel feeder, for the purpose of obtaining the desired power impulses.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a power impulse generator with a fuel feeder which is designed and adapted to obviate the use of ignition means, and which feeds charges of fuel to the expansion chamber of the generator under sufficient pressure to be ignited by the heat of air under pressure also fed to said chamber, to produce the power impulses.

lVith the foregoing and other objects 1n view, the invention resides in the details of construction, relative disposition, and operation of the parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional .v1ew through the power generator with the fuel feeding means of the present invention applied thereto and showing one transposition of the parts.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing a transposition of the parts the reverse of that shown in Figure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, it will be apparent that there s shown an expansion chamber 10, which 1s preferably of cylindrical form and having re- 0 movable heads 11 and 12. The side wall of the chamber 10 is provided with air intake passages 13 and 14, there being provided a manifold in communication with said passages 13 and 14 as indicated at 15. The man- 5 ifold is connected with a suitable source of air supply not shown, such .as a compressor which delivers air to the chamber 10 under approximately 500 pounds pressure. At points removed from the intake passages 13 and 14, and preferably diametrically opposed with respect thereto, the chamber 10 is provided with exhaust passages 16 and 17 having communication by the intervention of suitable means with an impact turbine for the purpose of operating the same by the power ,55 impulses generated. Mounted within the chamber 10 for relative sliding movementis a sleeve 18. The sleeve 18 is approximately equal in diameter to the diameter of the cham- I ber 10 but is shorter in length than the length of said chamber. The sleeve 18 has end flanges 19 and 20. The side wall of the sleeve 18 is provided near each end with a circular series of openings 21. The passages 13 and 14; are sufficiently large to always communi- .65 cate with at least one of the related series of openings 21 to insure admission of air even though the sleeve 18 should turn in chamber 10.

Mounted for relative longitudinal sliding movement within the sleeve 18 is a piston 22, and said piston is provided with ports 23 and 24: therein, the port 23 discharging through an opening 25, and the port 24 discharging through an opening 26. The port- 23 is in communication with a circular groove 27 in the piston 22, and the port 24 is in communication with a circular groove28 in the said piston. v

In order to feed determinate charges ,of 0 liquid'fuel into the chamber 10 at the end of each stroke or travel'of the piston 22, each of the heads 11 and 12 is provided with a fuel feeding means presently to be described. A cylindrical casing 29 has a gland 30 at one end which is threaded into the related head of the chamber 10 off center with respect to the longitudinal axis of said chamber. The casing 29 is provided with a removable head 31, and is internally threaded as at 32 for a purpose to appear. A timing rod 33 is positioned in each gland 30 and has relative longitudinal movement with respect thereto. One end 3 1 of the rod projects into the chamber 10, and the opposite end thereof projects into a chamber 35 defined by the casing 29, the last mentioned end of the rod 33 having a piston 36 secured thereto. The rod 33 is provided with a seal ring 37. The said rod 33 is also provided with an adjustable collar 38 which limits the movement of the rod 33 into the chamber 10 and said collar 38 may be adjusted to bring about the delivery of a charge of fuel into the chamber 10 at the proper time. A plunger 39 which is smaller in diameter than the piston 36 is connected as at-4O with the rod 33, and said plunger 39 is provided with a check valve 41. and communicating passages 42. The plunger 39 works in a sleeve 43 screwed into the casing 29 by Virtue of the threads 32. It will now be apparent that a chamber 44 is provided between the plunger 39 and the end 34of the casing 29. The casing 29 is provided with a vent valve 45 which allows any fluid which mayenter'the casing 29'behind the piston 36 -to escape,'.and so insure the return movement of the'piston 36 and therefore the plunger '39 atallitimes. Liquid fuel, such as crude oil,

'is-"fedzto the chamber of the casing 29 under approximately 500 pounds pressure by means of afeed pipe 46 having a check valve 47. 7 The feed pipe 46 will be connected with asuitablesource of liquid fuel supply which 25 ura-y be kept under the proper pressure by the air compressor which delivers air to the chamber-r10. The chamber 44 of the casing29 is inicommunication with a fuel nozzle 48 by a pipe 49.' The nozzle 48 is screwed into the heado-fthe chamber 10 opposite that having the casing29 and related parts. The nozzle 48=is provided with a spray cap 50 which is disposed to spray the liquid fuel into the chamber 10. The said nozzle 48 is also pro- "videdwith a check valve 51 to protect the fuelline during the explosion or expansion ofthe fuel.

Theop'eratio-n is as-follows With the parts in the relationship shown in Figure 1. air is admitted tothe left hand end of chamber 10 byway ofthe intake manifold through the intakepassa'ge. 14, through one or more of the holes:21-in*the sleeve 18, then into the groove 28, then into the port 24, and then through opening :26 into the left hand end of chamber 10. It is to be understood that the chamberl44 of the fuel feeder casing 29 on the head '11 is filled with liquid fuel. This liquid fuel enters the chamber 44 from the chamber :35, through the passages 42 past the check -11 and also with the end flange 19 of the sleeve 18; As a result, the charge of liquid fuel in the chamber 44 of the feeder casing 29 associated with the head 11'will be displaced by tlrevplun er 39 and be forced through the pipe. 49 anc nozzle: 48 associated with the understood that the air, due to its state of compression, will be sufficiently heated to bring about ignition of the fuel in accordance with the Diesel principle. The parts will be in the relationship shown in Figure 2, in which the sleeve 18 closes the intake passage-14, and opens theexhaust passage 17, allowing .the power impulse generated by the explosion ofthe liquid fuel to pass or discharge fromtheexhaust passage 17 to the rotor of a turbine not shown. At the same time, compressed :air is admitted to :thechamber '10 through the :intakepasszrge 13 and one or moreopenings 21 in-the sleeve in registration with the intake passage 13, the air pass his throu 'hthe'o )enin s-21 into the roove c) t) b b tween the piston'22 and the head 11. Itwill be obviousthat the spray of fuel entering the'oppositeends of the chamber 10 through the nozzles 48 by reason of the movement of the rods33, is instantaneous, and combustion of the fuel therefore setsin immediately and continues in part in the chamber 10 andalso on its way to the turbine throughthe outlets 16'and 17. Therliquid fuel-does not have any chance to fiowout of-the outlets 16'and17. The piston 22 movesbuta short distance after arrival at each end-of the chamber 10 to displace sufficient fuel from the chambers44 through the nozzles 48g-into the chamber 10 for combustion. The 'timingis easily taken care of by adjustingthe rods 33. Return movement'of'the piston 22in eachiinstance ton"22. Thisair forcesthe-piston 22: to the right hand end of the chamber 10. The operation herein above described is then repeated, the operation being. continuous and automatic.

. It is to be understood that the p'roplortioii of the timing rod'33 and the piston :362is such thatthe pressure within the chamberwi'llarot preventreturn movement of the timing rod -33=and connected parts. This return-movement is effected by, liquid fuel entering the casing :29 at'the plungersi-de of the piston 36.

Itisalso.to'beunderstood-thateach plunger j 39 acting on the fuel within the chamber 44 puts the fuel under greater pressure than its normal pressure, it being apparent that the related check valve 41 will close. Furthermore, while air is being admitted to one end of the chamber 10, to move the piston 22, fuel cannot enter said end of the chamber, because there will be suificient difierence of pressure of the air and fuel, due to greater resistance impeding the flow of fuel, to keep the particular check valve 551 closed to prevent the untimely flow of fuel into chamber 10.

It will also be understood that the sleeve 43 of each casing 29 may be adjusted to vary the cubical contents of chamber 44. Furthermore, when adjustment of the collar 38 of each rod 33 is made to obtain earlier or later discharge of fuel into chamber 10, the related sleeve 43 may be adjusted accordingly to obtain the desired displacement of fuel from the related chamber 44.

It is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise arrangement of parts shown and described, as details of construction may be modified and rearranged without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a pressure generator including a combustion chamber, and a freely movable piston in said chamber; of devices associated with said chamber and operable to force charges of combustible fuel under pressure alternately into opposite ends of said chamber, for the purpose of generating pressure charges, each device including a nozzle positioned to discharge fuel into one end of said chamber, and means at the end of the chamber remote from the nozzle end thereof operated by the movement of the piston to operate the device, exhaust passages respectively in communication with the op-' posite ends of said chamber, and said generator also being provided with means operated by the movement of the piston, to control the discharge of the pressure charges from said chamber through said passages alternately.

2. The combination with a pressure generator including a combustion chamber, and a freely movable piston in said chamber; of a casing, a nozzle which is positioned to discharge into said chamber, said nozzle being in communication with the discharge end of said casing by a feed pipe, a rod mounted for reciprocation and one end thereof extending into said chamber, a piston and plunger vspaced from each other on the opposite end of said rod, said piston and plunger being disposed in said casing for movement therein, said casing having an inlet through which "combustiblefuel under pressure is delivered to the interior of said casing in advance of said casing piston, said plunger having passages therein through which fuel passes to the discharge end of said casing, said plunger being provided with a check valve to prevent back flow of fuel through said passages, said rod being operated by the movement of said power chamber piston to move the casing piston and plunger to force fuel out of the casing throu h the feed pipe and nozzle into "said power cl iamber, the return movement of said rod being eifected by the pressure of fuel entering said casing on the piston therein.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, in which said last means comprises a sleeve slidable in said chamber and operated by the piston to alternately open and close said exhaust passages.

4. The combination with a pressure generator including a combustion chamber, and a freely movable piston in said chamber; of devices operable to force charges of combustible fuel under pressure alternately into the opposite ends of said chamber, for the purpose of generating pressure charges, each device including a nozzle positioned to discharge fuel into the end of said chamber, means at the end of the chamber remote from the nozzle end thereof operated by the move ment of the piston to operate the device, intake passages and exhaust passages respectively in communication with the opposite ends of said chamber, a sleeve slidable in said chamber and operated by the movement of the piston, said sleeve and piston having passages therein registrable with each other and with the intake passages to admit charges of air under pressure into said chamber through said intake passages alternately, and said sleeve also serving to alternately open and close said exhaust passages to control the discharge of the pressure charges from said chamber through said exhaust passages alternately.

JOSEPH B. MOKEOWN. 

